Finally I managed to track down a concise and understandable explanation for how the Danish cartoons of Mohammed have become such a major issue. It sounds like some feisty Danish imams, not content with the local reaction they managed to brew up, took the cartoons, along with much more offensive three images NOT published by the newspaper and toured the Middle East in an attempt to work up exactly the sort of reaction we are seeing now.
Given the state of extreme Muslim sensitivity in Sydney right now, I think it is sensible for major news papers not to publish the cartoons. It is an overreaction however.
If you want to see the cartoons for yourself, then check out Tim Blair's blog.
Edit: Even more good commentary exists here including thumbnails of the 3 images the Danish imams apparently included with the original 12.
Edit 2: Shock, horror! It appears that Mohammed has been represented in cartoons and artworks before. There is also more explanation about what the Danish imams did. It is certainly looking like a good deal of this was manufactured to generate outrage on the part of even moderate Muslims, whilst leaving little for the West to do about it.
Hi Angus!!
ReplyDeleteJust dropped in to say hi…I was going through your article on the prophet’s cartoon and thought that even I share the same feelings as you have voiced. It is us the human beings who have created this class division and the religious discrimination which have given rise to so many wars in the nations. I feel it will be best for all if the cartoon topic discussion and debate is stopped altogether or god knows what the hell are we gonna see again in the near future.
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Warm Regards
Himadree
Thanks for your comment Himadree.
ReplyDeleteI certainly look forward to not hearing about more violence instigated in the name of Islam against these cartoons.
However, the current debate does serve a useful purpose by reminding people about the importance of freedom of the press, and the dangers of censorship.
Some people are calling for a reform of Islam, or at least an intellectual renewal that does not come from Saudi Wahhabism, see http://www.freemuslims.org/ for more details.